Promoting Intergenerational Relationships through Enhancing Young Adults’ Sentiments Toward Old Adults: The Role of Synchronous Walking and Conversation

We conducted an experiment to examine the utility of interpersonal synchrony for improving intergenerational relationships. Fifty-one young-old dyads (64.7% female) were paired up for walking and conversation activities. Synchronous walking (vs. asynchronous or no walking) significantly improved all aspects of younger adults’ sentiments, outperforming or complementing the effects of conversation.